Secret, Secret
by Xenolord
Summary: A chance meeting between Eve, Kasha Blackblood and Cynn end in disaster. Romance. CynnxKashaxEve.


Disclaimer and Author's Notes: I do not own ArenaNet. I would just like to get this out into the open. Mountain Dew plus a late night, plus Pre-Sear, plus seeing Kasha in that hot armor of hers, is NOT a very good combination. This has a very long, complicated and slightly embarrassing story behind it.

Secret, secret

The last day dawns on the Kingdom of Ascalon. It arrives with no fan fair, no tolling of alarms. Those who remember will speak fondly of the warm morning breeze. People carry on with their daily lives, unaware that, in a few short hours, all they know, will come to an end. It was on that day that the Charr found a way around the Great Wall. A way, to bring it down.

Charr of every breed gathered around an alter of their own creation. A thing born for one sole purpose; to quench to killing urge of the Charr. Their chosen priest, Bonfazz Burntfur, stood on the top of the alter, conjuring the flame from within. Soon, all they had hoped for would be realized.

Somewhere away from the massing Charr, within the place called Ashford, a young woman bearing the garments of the Necromancer trade, walked passed her friend and mentor, Brother Mhenlo giving him a friendly smile and courteous wave, which was emphatically returned by the humble Monk.

"Kasha... What brings you to me today?" Mhenlo questioned, approaching the Necromancer. Kasha Blackblood, an expert in Blood Rituals and trainer of young Necromancers, smiled at Mhenlo and exhaled.

"I was wondering if you know where my Sister is." Kasha responded, placing her hands on her hip.

"Eve? Last I heard, she and Mistress Munne were deep within the Catacombs, appeasing the spirits. Why? You wish to join them?" The Monk responded, digging the butt end of his staff into the ground.

"I have a request from Grazden that I must deliver." She responded, producing a sealed letter. Mhenlo nodded, and motioned her towards the door to the extensive underground network of catacombs and tombs. Kasha began her stride towards the entrance, watching a young Necromancer exit, a series of Bone Horrors following her. Bringing up the rear, behind the young one was Munne, a well versed Necromancer, but a teacher of Death Magic which, in Kasha's eyes was easy compared to the manipulation of blood. The younger Necromancer, oblivious to Kasha's presence bumped into her, knocking the pair of them to the ground.

"Oh! Oh, I'm terribly sorry, mistress!" She spoke instantly. One of the Bone Horrors tried helping the younger one up. "No, no I'm fine. Help Mistress Blackblood up." The three Horrors did as their master was told and aided the older Necromancer to her feet. Kasha dusted herself off and hoisted the young girl up.

"Are these yours?" Kasha asked, looking at the Minions.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry about hitting you like that. I really do need to pay more attention..."

"Nonsense. Wow... three minions... at your training level... What's your name?"

"Erizen, mistress. Erizen Prophecy. I was just finishing my training before I head back to school. Uh... sorry again."

"It's okay. Run along now." Erizen did as Kasha told her, the Bone Horrors behind her. "Cute kid..." Kasha muttered, continuing into the Catacombs.

-

As one may expect from Catacombs, these were dark and dreary. Just as most Necromancer's liked. They were also winding, and highly confusing. Most either avoided the catacombs completely, or stayed to the upper levels to avoid getting lost. But, thankfully, Kasha knew her way around very well, and didn't get lost easily.

Kasha finally reached the place she had planned on meeting Eve. While not related to Kasha through birth, Eve and Kasha were Blood Sisters. Two people bound through a very powerful bond, created though a special Blood Ritual. One Kasha taught to only her most promising students. They had been meeting in the Catacombs for some time now, only because it was the second most secluded place in all of Ascalon (The most secluded being Regent Valley, but Nente frequented there too many times, so it made 'talking' to Eve difficult). When Kasha arrived, she saw Eve speaking to a very irate looking Oberon. Oberon looked over to Kasha, grinned nervously, and walked away. Oberon was the only person who knew of Eve and Kasha's secret meetings, and the true nature of them. He had tried a multitudinous amounts of times to blackmail the two of them with that knowledge, but Eve was too clever for him, and always had something to counter his threats with.

"Kasha, dear. You're late." Eve mused as soon as Oberon was out of earshot. Kasha blushed.

"Sorry. I had a particularly... troublesome student. Couldn't tell blood from wine if it bit him on the face." She diverted her eyes. Eve smiled.

"And now, sweets, you know why I declined the position to teach. It's people like that Kouga Deathwolf that put me off teaching. He's so... slow to learn the beauty and majesty of Necromancy." Eve walked to Kasha in this certain seductive stride which she saved only for Kasha. When they closed distance, Kasha put her arms around Eve and smiled. This was the only place that, she could safely say, she was completely happy and content. It was a place where she could cry, smile, laugh, shout, love or hate, and have someone listen to her. It was the only place on Tyria she would kill anyone to be.

Eve was also glad to finally see Kasha's smiling face. The two of them had been separated for what felt like a lifetime. Eve had to speak to the graduating class of the Ascalon Vanguard a week ago, and was scheduled to speak to the next batch. It was rushed to see Kasha, but time would stand still for love's sake.

"You look frustrated, Eve dear. Something bothering you?" Kasha questioned, addressing the grim look on Eve's brow.

"It's Adam. That stupid idiot keeps saying something about a great tragedy that will befall Ascalon." She watched Kasha's face mimic the grim frown. "Oh, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just a stupid idiot who wants to rain on our parade... Let's not let him, hum?" Eve replied, pressing her cold lips to Kasha's loosing herself in a kiss. They backed up against one of the walls to brace themselves as time slipped into unknowing.

Suddenly, the sound of a skeleton exploding in a thousand pieces interrupted them.

"What was that?" Kasha whispered, her voice unsteady. Eve was unconcerned.

"It was a skeleton making a wrong turn. Probably fell off a ledge and broke. You know how stupid those boneheads can be." Kasha grinned, relieved.

"Yea. You're right. Come 'ere." She replied, pulling Eve closer. The sounds of footsteps went unheard by the two lovers until the owner of the footsteps rounded the corner to see the two. A feminine gasp interrupted them again.

Both Eve and Kasha turned to see who it was, their faces alive with shock. It was Cynn, a powerful Elementalist.

"Good God, Cynn." Eve sighed. "Don't scare us like that!"

"You started without me!" Cynn muttered, crossing her arms.

"Well... you were late." Kasha retorted, standing and helping Eve up. Cynn's face went red.

"I... I was delayed... I had to take the back entrance... didn't want Mhenlo to know I was here. Might think I was up to something." She replied, walking towards Eve and Kasha.

"And you're not?" Eve smiled, chuckling.

"Well... the point is, he doesn't need to know." Cynn replied, joining the two. "Now... show me what I missed..."

"Nothing interesting. I can, however, show you what you almost missed..." Kasha whispered in the Elementalist's ear, walking behind her and slipping her cold hand into the slight gap in her clothes, her fingers touching the Elementalist's warm breasts.

-

The Charr gave no credence to love, affection, or care. All they strove for was destruction. Something they wrought with terrifying efficiency. As the day wained into night, the Charr gathering around the effigy began to chant in their commanding grunts and growls. Suddenly, as if all of their voices called out at once, a huge crystalline beam shot from the alter into the sky. They all growled in unison, echoing what sounded like cheering into the sky.

The Searing had begun.

All over Ascalon, crystals made of a shimmering quartz material rained down on the sky, either exploding on impact and causing countless amounts of damage and death, or (some of the bigger ones, anyway) burrowed into the ground, creating huge craters and horribly disfiguring the landscape. The Actor's Theater, just outside the city grounds, was wrenched violently from the earth, tossed hundreds of feet in the air, and crashed down with a deafening thud.

A thud which could be heard from the Catacombs.

"What was _that_?!" Kasha whispered again. "And don't say a skeleton falling. I know it was too loud for that." The half-naked Necromancer held on tight to Eve and Cynn.

"I can surely say, I have no ide-" Eve's sentence was stopped mid-stream by one of the crystals crashing through the roof of the Catacombs and landing right at Kasha's feet as they lay on the ground. Cynn let out a high-pitched scream in surprise.

"What the hell?" Cynn asked, poking it with her foot. (They were leaned up against the wall of the Catacombs, cuddling each other sitting on the ground. It made for a nice, cozy, sensual position.) Cynn retracted her foot instantly. "It's hot!" Just as Cynn said these words, dozens of smaller ones followed, peppering the ground around the three women. "Move!" The Elementalist shouted, wrenching the three up. The moment they had re-located, a huge crystal smashed right to where they were sitting. They held each other close, unable to move from fear, as the crystals continued to rain down, bringing destruction along with them.

"Are we going to die in here?" Kasha whimpered, looking at Eve's eyes, fear filling her own.

"No, sweets, no we're not. We have to get to the exit, and fast. Before we're buried alive."

They made haste for the exit, but as they arrived, to their horror, they saw it sealed by a cave in.

"Oh, god! No!" Cynn called, trying to move the rocks. "We're trapped." Kasha tried to help Cynn, but the rocks were wedged too tightly to the entrance.

"Well... it looks like we are going to die in here..." Eve muttered, a tear running down her cheek.

"Cynn... There's something I've always wanted to say..." Kasha started, holding Cynn.

"I think I know what it is. Grenth will give is time to speak in the Mists..."

"I love you two. More then anything in the world. I love you. Dwayna protect us!" Eve mused, pulling both of them towards her as the catacombs caved in on top of itself.

-

Soon, Kasha found herself standing in an ice-cold room, mist swirling around her feet. Holding her hands were Cynn and Eve. They were standing before a great, cloaked figure.

"Greetings, young ones. Welcome to my domain." The figure spoke. Kasha and Eve trembled before the figure they knew too well.

"G-Grenth..." Cynn breathed, afraid to say his name.

"I am." Grenth responded, unmoving.

"Are we... dead..." Eve asked, gripping Kasha tighter.

"Yes. And no." The God of the Dead responded, moving an arm and opening his hand, a swirling portal appearing in his palm. It showed Ascalon. "You died, never knowing how. And as such, I am bound to tell you of your deaths." The view changed to a group of Charr standing around an alter of an unknown make. "The Charr Priest, Bonfazz Burntfur had a device of sinister proportions created. It's sole purpose was to destroy all of Ascalon. You three were caught in the middle of this device during it's activation." He closed his hand and dropped his arm to his side. The portal disappeared. "You three are caught, not in my own domain, not in the Underworld, but in Purgatory. You hang in the balance between life and death, so you are not mine to command. If you wish your life on Tyria restored, then you shall walk away from me, and you will come back. However, only two of you may return to life. The other must remain here, with me. Who remains is not mine to decide. I shall leave that choice to you."

"I'll stay." Kasha responded quickly, just as Grenth finished. She turned to face her friends. "You two have been too good to me to die. I... I think I'll stay here. It's the least I can do. Besides..." She tried to manage a weak smile. "I've served Grenth all my life... and now I have the chance to join him..." She sniffed, and dried her tears. "It's a chance of the lifetime... Funny..." She sighed. "The chance of a lifetime, I have to be dead to take." She raised her head to her friends. "Go on. Have a life together. Just... promise me one thing..." Cynn looked at her. "Kill those bastards for me, would you? Slaughter them all." She finished. Eve opened her mouth to protest. "Eve... don't. I'll be fine. Don't try to change my mind. I'll live on in your memories. Just... don't forget me, okay? The woman the two of you loved..." She turned to face Grenth.

"Kasha!" Cynn called, running towards Kasha. The Necromancer faced the Elementalist. "I love you." Cynn muttered, kissing Kasha lovingly on the lips. "I love you..." She whispered, running away, tears streaming down her face. Eve approached, her body trembling, her hands unceasingly shaking.

"I'll tell everyone how you sacrificed yourself for us... How you died like a true warrior would... fighting for what she loved." Eve wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer. "Take care in the Mists... I'll be for you shortly... I'll come for you." As Eve finished her good-bye, she couldn't hold her tears anymore, and walked away crying her eyes out, her sobs echoing in the cold, dead mist.

"Well..." Kasha spoke, turning to Grenth. "Shall we go?" Grenth turned with her, wrapping an icy, skeleton-like hand around her shoulder.

"You are very brave, young one, to walk into the unknown. You shall enjoy your existence here. And your lovers shall join you shortly. Time, after all, has no meaning here."

As she walked endlessly with Grenth by her side, her mind kept telling her to run. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live with Eve and Cynn, to have a life together, to love, to laugh, to hurt, to cry, to smile, to be angry, to be sad... she wanted to feel again... to be alive. Something that she couldn't do anymore.

The path before her opened into a place of nothing. A sole, stone path stretched endlessly into the distance, no requiem from the creepy, dead feeling she had. Suddenly, as though he had broken down, Grenth stopped. Kasha turned to him.

"You are very brave, young one. More so then most who come my way. Not once have you pleaded for your life. And that is something I respect. You are no longer in my care." He muttered. Suddenly, as though on command, the path disintegrated, falling into nothingness. A pillar of light exploded from the darkness above, and though walking down stairs, the figure of Dwayna descended.

"Why, Grenth. Getting soft in your old age?" She spoke to Grenth, who simply looked away, a groan escaping his would-be mouth.

"I am not getting soft, Dwayna. I am simply getting... generous. I do grow so tired of people groveling before me, begging for their lives. I believe that bravery is the first step to honesty. And she did die in the prime of her life..." The figure of Dwayna laughed, her hand covering her mouth. She was petite, frail almost. As if the slightest touch, and she would shatter into a million pieces.

"So... you want me to take her, then. Is that it?" Dwayna asked Grenth.

"If you would be so kind." Grenth responded. "I have more souls to welcome. So many more were murdered by the Charr. I shall be very busy, I feel, in the coming years. I leave her soul to you, Dwayna." With that, Grenth vanished. Kasha was too speechless to notice Dwayna take her hand. Kasha reacted by pulling away.

"Do not fear me, child. I only wish to help you." Kasha whimpered slightly, letting Dwayna take her hand. "Do you know who I am?" Kasha only nodded slightly. The Goddess smiled. "Smart girl. Come, let us leave this... simply dreadful place." She turned towards the column of light, and gave Kasha's hand a slight tug. "Follow me, child." Uneasily, Kasha did as she was told, taking a step towards the light. The moment she did...

The Necromancer felt her hand twitch. She could feel her body, however weak it was, laying on a pile of something soft with little weird feeling pieces. She heard a crackling sound pass her ear, and something hot beneath her. As it started to touch her, she learned of what it was. Fire.

Reacting to the flames, she tried to move, but only managed to pick her arm up and bring it down again.

"What?" A voice asked shocked. "Put the fire out! I think someone's alive!" He called again. There came the feeling of water being dumped on her back. Cold water. She let out a small scream from the sudden drop in temperature. "It's Kasha! She's alive!" The voice, she now recognized as Brother Mhenlo, shouted. Kasha felt someone grab her arms and pull her off the pile. "Kasha! Speak to me!" She felt herself sprawl out on the ground. But, instead of talking, all she could do was let out a loud, barking cough. With just enough power to open her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Mhenlo. "Oh, thank Dwayna you're alive!"

"That's all of it..." Cynn's voice choked out a little while away. She still had the distinct sound in her voice, that of someone who had just recently finished crying.

"Cynn! Eve! It's Kasha! She's alive!"

"What?!" Eve shouted, the sounds of footsteps thundering in her head. "Kasha! Speak to me!" Kasha managed an eye open, and this time, managed to hold it open.

"Hey... beautiful..." She choked out, a slight smile appearing on her face. Eve grinned, grabbed Kasha in a hug and pulled her closer.

"You... lucky, lucky little bitch! How did you..." Cynn dropped to her knees and gave Kasha a hug too.

"Let's not go over that now, love..." Kasha muttered, regaining the energy to sit. "For now... I need a drink. Badly. And a night's rest."

"I think we could all use one after what just happened..." Mhenlo replied, looking over the warped countryside. "We'll all need one..."

The majority of buildings of what was once Ascalon City survived the initial attack. Namely the Inn and weapons store survived. The survivors of the attack took refuge inside these building from the invading creatures, and the occasional Charr strike. Kasha, Cynn and Eve finished what was so rudely interrupted in the Catacombs that night in the Inn.

"We're at war..." Eve muttered, laying naked in bed, the covers pulled up to her chest. Cynn laid beside Eve, and Kasha gripped her tightly in an embrace, all three of them exhausted from the day's ordeal. "How many more will die by the Charr? Will we make it? Can we seriously go to bed at night... with the thought of never waking up looming over us?" Kasha let a 'shh' sound out, squeezing Eve tighter.

"Let's not think about that. Let's just be glad for the time we have, and to Grenth for letting me have a second chance." Kasha mused.

"For giving all of us a second chance." Cynn corrected her.


End file.
